Ghana head coach Otto Addo has emphasized the need for his team to be more decisive in front of goal following their 1-0 defeat to Angola in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifier at the Baba Yara Stadium. The defeat not only ended the Black Stars’ 24-year unbeaten run in Kumasi but also highlighted some glaring weaknesses in their attacking play.
In his post-match press conference, Addo expressed his frustration with the team’s lack of cutting edge in the final third, noting several missed opportunities to capitalize on promising situations.
“Surely, we have to be more clinical. I saw a lot of situations where we could have shot earlier, we should have been a little bit more egoistic,” Addo remarked. “Even though I don’t like it when a player has a better position and you don’t give him the ball, I don’t like it. But in this game, I think there were a lot of situations where we could have taken shots, but we passed to the next one, passed to the next one.”
Ghana dominated possession for much of the game but lacked the sharpness needed to break down Angola’s defense. Addo acknowledged that while the team worked hard to control the match, they ultimately failed to convert their dominance into goals.
“The players tried everything, we controlled the match, and this is also football,” Addo said. “I was a player myself. I had bad games when we won, and sometimes you play well and still lose. This is football.”
With the 2025 AFCON qualification still open, Addo’s Black Stars will need a win over Niger on Monday to get their campaign back on track as Angola host Sudan in the other Group F game.
